Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-01

-.
.SlEk Concho's death, had
<aC -. not Dr. Guild
- /. fought nobly in
support of tho law
and his own convictions A majority of the
Jury objected to there being any inquest at
all. A sincere juryman thought it hard that
whenever Greaser pegged out in a siea;in'
kind o way, American citizens snould bs
taken from their business to find out what
allied him. @S'pose he was killed." said on
other, 8thar amt no time this thirty year he
weren't, 50 to speak, Just sufferin for it, ez
his nat'ral right ez Mexican" The jury at
last compromised by bringing in verdict Of
homicide against certain parties unknown.
Yet it was understood tacitly that these un-
known parties were severally Wiles and Pc
dro; Manuel, Miguel and Roscommon prov
ing All unmistakable alibi. Wiles and Pedro
had fled to Lower California, and Manuel.
Miguel and Roscommon deemed it advisable,
in the then excited state of the public mind, to
withholdthe forged application and claim from
the courts and the public comment. So that for
Q year after the murder of Concho and the
flight of his assassins 'The blue Mass Min
ing Company" remained in undisturbed and
actual possession of the mine, and reigned in
their stead
But the spirit of the murdered Concho
would not down any more than that of the
murdered Banquo, and so wrought, no doubt,
in quiet, Concho-hke way, sore trouble with
the blue Mass Company" For a great capi-
talist and master of avarice came down
to the mine and found it fair, and taking one
of the company aside, offered to lend his
name and a certain amount of coin for a con-
trolling interest, accompanying the generous
offer with a suggestion that If it were not
acceded to he would be compelled to buy up
various Mexican mines and food the market
with quicksilver to the great detriment of the
"Blue Mass Company, which thoughtful sug-
gestion, offered by man frequently alluded
to as one of "Californias great mining
princes" and as one who had "done much to
develop the resources Of the state, was not
to be lightly considered; and so, after a eau
tious non consultation with the company, and
a commendable secrecy, the stoS.holder sold
out Whereat it was speedily spread abroad
that the Great Capitalist had taken hold of
other stockholders rejoiced-until the Great
Capitalist found it was necessary to put up
expensive mills, to employ high salaried
superintendent fact, to develop the mine
by spending of its earnings, so that the stock
quoted at 112 was finally saddled with an as
sessment of $50 per SHARE Another assess
ment of $50 to enable the superintendent to
proceed to Russia and Spain and examine in.
to the workings of the quicksilver mines
there, and also a general commission to the
gifted and scientific Pillageman to examine
into the various component parts Of quick.
silver, and report if it could not be manufac-
tured from ordinary sandstone by steam or
electricity, speedily brought the other stock
holders to their senses. 1t was at this time
the good fellow "Tom," the serious-minded
"Dick' and the speculative but fortunate
Harry" brokers of the Great Capitalist,
found it convenient to buy up, for the Great
Capitalist aforesaid, the various other shares
at great sacrifice.
fear that have bored my readers in thus
giving the tiresome details of that ingenious
American pastime which my countrymen dis.
miss in their epigrammatic way as the "freez-
ing-out process" And lest any reader should
question the ethics of the proceeding, beg
him to remember that one gentleman accom-.
plished in this art was always sincere and
direct opponent of the late Mr.. John Oak.
hurst, gambler.
But for once the Great Master of Avarice
had not taken into sufficient account the av-
arice of Others and was suddenly and virtu-
ously shocked to learn that an application for
patent for certain lands known as the "Red.
Rock Rancho" was about to be offered be-
fore the United States land commission.
This claim covered his mining property But
the information came quietly and secretly, as
all Of the Great Masters information was OBJ
tanned, and be took the opportunity to sell out
his clouded title and his proprietorship to
the only remaining member Of the original
"Blue Mass company" a young fellow of pith,
before any-tongued rumor had voiced the
news far and wide. The blow was heavy
one to the party left in possession. Eaddled
by the enormous debts and expenses of the
Great Capitalist, with credit further injured
by the detection Of this lucky magnate, who
was admired for his skill in anticipating q
loss, and whose REIMBURSEMENT Of any project
meant ruin to it, the single handed, impover-
ished possessor of the mine, whose title was
contested and whose reputation was yet to be
made-poor Biggs, first secretary and only
remaining officer of the GBlue Mass COM
pany," looked ruefully over his books and
his last transfer, and sighed. But have be-
fore intimated that he was built of good stuff
and that he believed in his work-which was
well-and in himself, which was better; and
90, having faith even as grain of mustard
seed, doubt not that he would have been
able to remove that mountain of quicksilver
beyond the overlapping Of fraudulent grants.
And, again, Providence-having disposed of
these several scamps-raised up to him
friend. But that friend is of sufficient i'm
portance to this veracious history to deserve
paragraph to himself.
The Pylades of this Orestes was known Of
ordinary mortals as Royal Thatcher. His
genealogy, birth and education are, take it,
of little account to this chronicle, which is
only concerned with his friendship for Bigos